RNC Chairman Reince Priebus took to the world stage today on Meet The Press to go off on Hillary Clinton’s brain, age, and experience.

When asked by David Gregory if it’s over the line attacking Hillary Clinton’s age and health, Priebus answered, “Look, I think that health and age is fair game. It’s fair game for Ronald Reagan. It’s fair game for John McCain. When people came at John McCain and said maybe he’s psychologically not fit because he was a prisoner of war.”

Couple points. Ronald Reagan died of Alzheimer’s disease– the most common form of dementia– something the entire GOP should consider being checked for. So, score one for those who dared to question whether he was of sound mind and body.

And John McCain? The man who picked Sarah Palin as his go-to president of the free world? A man with a well-established history of erratic behavior and bizarre remarks?

Score one more for those who dared to question the soundness of the same Republican party leaders who unapologetically gave us a president with Alzheimer’s!

If the GOP thinks Hillary shares their collective common traits of a warped mind, they haven’t articulated it– at all. But I hear that conspiracy theories are a form of derangement, and the entire GOP seems to be forever stricken.

After muttering something about Benghazi! Benghazi!David Gregory asked, “Is she the candidate that you and the Republican Party most fear?”

“No, actually I don’t fear — I think Hillary is a known product,” said the Grand Exalted Prince of Damaged Goods. “Actually I think it’s sometimes worse running against a blank slate. Hillary has decades of history for us to explore,” he said.

I smell your fear, Priebus!

And then Priebus said this: “You know, her role in HillaryCare, when she was First Lady. Her Senate experience, where there’s nothing significant to point to. And her secretary of state experience, which is not just not significant, but there’s all kinds of problems for.”

Hahaha! No fear, says Priebus! And they have decades of history to explore! Which is why, in the year 2014, the Republican party is so obviously exhausted, punched too many times in the face after all these years, the best they can come up with is “she’s older!”

No experience, other than the unique experience of being the First Lady for eight years, then a Senator for eight years, and then coming in a close second to the most formidable campaign in recent history in Barack Obama’s, and then— Secretary of State!

The GOP are moral and ethical failures, but especially when it comes to judgement of character and soundness of mind. If they think they have a candidate more qualified than Hillary Clinton, their beryllium sphere is beyond repair.

But Republicans can’t show fear because that’s one of the oldest rules of sales. Their poker-face is all bluff, as it always is, and one more way I know this is because I’ve been out there in rural Illinois lately, Red country, and I’ve been seeing a recurring theme on bumpers and back windows throughout:

You know, after how badly calling it “ObamaCare” backfired on them you’d think Republicans would be wary of naming things after their opponents. But, then, that would mean they’d have to learn from their mistakes….

Christopher Foxx

“Couple points. Ronald Reagan died of Alzheimer’s disease…”

So what?

McCain’s “well-established history of erratic behavior and bizarre remarks” before and during his campaigns are fair reasons for questioning his competence to be President. As are any Reagan made before or during his time in office. But what Reagan died of nearly 16 years after leaving office is irrelevant.

mrbrink

Reagan was showing signs of mental deterioration while still in office to the point where he didn’t “recall” trading arms to Iran to fund right wing death squads in South America. So, you think the party who propped up Reagan and McCain/Palin should have any serious input when it comes to recognizing mental health issues? That’s what’s “so what.” Republicans pretending to know what mental malfunction looks like is relevant to the current “discussion” and made even more laughable considering their party’s track record. They have no credibility on this issue.

while the line between mere forgetfulness and the beginning of Alzheimer’s can be fuzzy, a matter of gradation, Mr. Reagan’s four main White House doctors say they saw no evidence that he had crossed it as President. They saw and spoke with him daily in the White House, they said, and beyond the natural failings of age never found his memory, reasoning or judgment to be significantly impaired.

Mr. Reagan ”absolutely” did not ”show any signs of dementia or Alzheimer’s,” said Dr. John E. Hutton Jr., who cared for him from 1984 until the end of his Presidency and remains a close family friend. Extensive mental-status tests did not indicate evidence of Alzheimer’s until 1993, more than four years after Mr. Reagan left office, Dr. Hutton said.

Even in hindsight, Mr. Reagan’s friends and former aides said that they, too, had seen no hint of the deterioration to come. And while they acknowledged that he had occasional memory lapses as President, especially when it came to names, many said he had had these problems for years, certainly since he was Governor of California, from 1967 to 1974.

…

The first significant hints that Mr. Reagan was crossing that fuzzy line into dementia, his doctors said, did not come until September 1992, three years and eight months after he left office.

“So, you think the party who propped up Reagan and McCain/Palin should have any serious input when it comes to recognizing mental health issues?”

I certainly don’t see why you should be taken seriously when diagnosing mental health issues.

mrbrink

I’m not the one making a diagnosis, so I don’t really care that you’d turn this around on me. I’m not interested in what personal doctors/friends of the family had to say about Reagan’s mental capacity. He was showing signs much earlier than they let on, before he left office(“I don’t recall” is classic Reagan). Reaganite Republicans have spent their whole careers covering up and rewriting history to prop him up to this day. Career liars of the highest order. Legacy-frauds and revisionist liars, the lot of them. You know it, I know it.

From the article: “Throughout his two terms, a series of well-publicized memory lapses and a casual executive style had provoked uncertainty — even ridicule — about his mental competence. Just when the Alzheimer’s began can never be known.”

History has vindicated those early suspicions and the GOP’s history of propping up mental degenerates– from Reagan to Bush to McCain/Palin to the Tea Party– is the nail in the vindication coffin.

Republicans are the last people on this planet I’d trust to make a diagnosis when it comes to mental health. They’re psychologically projecting their weakness onto others. Since when have Republicans been able to determine adequate mental health? History and reality are not on their side.

Republican party cares as much, and has as much credibility in determining mental health vulnerabilities as an NRA lobbyist.

Christopher Foxx

“Career liars of the highest order. Legacy-frauds and revisionist liars, the lot of them.”

Indeed. Reagan Revisionism is rampant. And I was very aware that the article I quoted was getting info from Reagan’s doctors, friends and former aides. Sources who could (would?) quite likely have a bias. But just dismissing them because of that would be showing my bias.

Because I’m also aware of the flip side: folks opposed to Reagan who make him out to be more addled or addled earlier than he actually was. When it was announced the Reagan had Alzheimer’s many on the left reacted with “Well, duh. We’ve been saying that for years” type comments, motivated by their opposition to Reagan rather than any accurate evaluation of his true medical condition. Your painting all of the Recent Republican candidates with the broad “propped up mental degenerate” brush is a small example of that bias from the left. Palin certainly is stupid, opportunistic, petty and vengeful certainly, but those are personality traits and not signs of mental instability.

I would not rely on Republicans to honestly discuss anything, let alone the mental health of someone they want to promote. But “Just when the Alzheimer’s began can never be known” and lacking any legitimate medical evidence to the contrary we do have to defer to the medical professionals who say the tests done didn’t show any evidence of Alzheimer’s until ’93. Being skeptical of that is reasonable, but declaring he was ill years earlier is not supportable.

mrbrink

Two words: Reasonable doubt. And there’s more than enough to support it.

Christopher Foxx

To prompt a speculation, sure. But not to make a declaration. You shouldn’t conflate the two.

Ned F

I think they should keep to their idea of a short, private, under televised primary debate season if they’re really worried about crazy brains.

muselet

Reince “Obvious Anagram” Priebus (h/t Charlie Pierce) wasn’t talking to rural Illinois or any other part of the real world. His comments were addressed to The Villagers:

“Remember those horrible Clinton people? The ones who wouldn’t automatically prostrate themselves before you? Well, another one wants to come and pretend she belongs in your beloved DC! Prepare to repel boarders!”

The chattering class now has its talking points for the next two years, and after a reasonable interval (a month, maybe two), the Sabbath Gasbags will be Very Seriously discussing the rumors that Everyone’s Talking About regarding Hillary Clinton’s medical fitness to be president. My fearless prediction is that Joe Scarborough will be first out of the gate (because that way “even liberal MSNBC” will have expressed concern).

Between Hillary’s Brain and Benghazi! Benghazi!! Benghazi!!!, this will be a long and tedious campaign.

–alopecia

mrbrink

I’m getting the sense that the people whom they need to convince the most, white suburbanites, aren’t hearing it. They’ve entertained the nutzoid Right and Left during the Obama administration to the point where they’re ready to move on and not look back. I think if she chooses to run, she can laugh/cackle in their faces all the way to the presidency, which will only expedite their 90 mph drive to the secluded rooms on the funny farm. Of course, there’s still a lot of damage Nader 2000 can do to her prospects, but they still think this administration– the most progressive administration since FDR– is a baby-killing, warmongering-fascist of a presidency. Flail away, I say.

muselet

It helps that the Rs won’t—or can’t—nominate anyone who isn’t barking mad.